19 May 2009

Reception for Sister Rosalind Moss at Covenant Radio

Thanks to the readers who sent me the following information, which I apologize for being so tardy in posting. Sister Rosalind Moss will be undertaking a year of novitiate formation with the Visitation Nuns in Tyringham, Massachusetts before returning to assume direction of her proposed order, Daughters of Mary, Mother of Israel's Hope.

There will be a reception in her honor this Saturday, May 23:

I know you have posted about Sr. Rosalind Moss before, so I thought you might be interested to know that she is leaving St. Louis for a year's novitiate. To celebrate her vocation, and sort of as a goodbye party, Covenant Radio is hosting an open house for her. Here's the information.

"We plan to celebrate her vocation by having a gathering of family and friends to support Sister Rosalind and wish her well. The open house will be at Covenant Network on Saturday, May 23 from 6:30-9:00PM, 4424 Hampton Avenue St. Louis, MO.

Please extend this invitation to any group, organization, or individual that you feel would like to come. Sister Rosalind has blessed and touched the lives of so many - come celebrate with us!

RSVP to Dawn at deelhaiti@SBCglobal.net or (314) 968-2439. We are looking forward to a fun and relaxing evening. Refreshments will be served."

3/ the diocesan bishop in his own territory, but not a diocesan administrator, for diocesan associations, except, however, for those associations whose right of erection has been reserved to others by apostolic privilege. [We have no diocesan bishop at present. It did not happen before the previous archbishop left town.]

Step two - some years away....Can. 579 Diocesan bishops, each in his own territory, can erect institutes of consecrated life by formal decree, provided that the Apostolic See has been consulted.

Sister Rosalind is probably wearing the garb of a postulant, which is not the religious habit of the institute. The postulant's garb can be given whenever the institute decides to do so: most commonly it is given the very day the new aspirant arrives at the convent. (In this case, one can say that this date is synonymous with Sister Rosalind's arrival in St. Louis to take up residence in her present convent home.) The postulant's clothing design has always been fluid and many communities have changed the design of the postulant's garb from time to time. It is not made according to a design that is identified as the habit of the congregation and its design has never needed to be "approved" by Church authority as the regular professed habit of a congregation does. Formerly, in most religious communities, the postulant's garb closely resembled the way professed Sisters of many Orders began dressing around 1967-70, as does Sister Rosalind in this picture. I think this is what causes this confusion. If we saw this photo of Sister Rosalind in 1958, not one of us would think she was drssed as a nun; we would identify her as someone in formation. We are now so used to seeing modified religious garb on Sisters (if we see any religious garb at all) that many of us now identify this sort of garb as normative for a habit. (You may recall that in most communities, after dressing like Sister Rosalind is dressed in this picture for nearly a year as postulants, they were THEN invested in the habit to begin their novitiate, clarifying unambiguously that those dressed as postulants are not wearing the religious habit.) Sister Rosalind's wearing of the postulant's habit in this photo, and anywhere else, compromises no church law nor does it hint of disobedience. The only problem would be if the local Ordinary forbad her to wear this form of garb in public and she proceeded to do so against his directives. This has not happened as far as I know in the St. Louis sitiation.

On the other hand, if Sister's white veil shows that she is indeed wearing the habit of a novice, then that it still acceptable according to church law. She has already been assigned to begin her novitiate with the Visitandines. In many instances we are used to the novitiate beginning with the day the novice arrives in the novitiate. However, that is not necessarily so. It is possible (I don't know the specifics in this case) that Sister has been invested in the novice's habit in preparation for her journey to the novitiate out east. There can be something more appropriate about her receiving the habit here in St. Louis, since hers will be a diocesan institute, than receiving it at the Visitandine convent since she is not destined to be a Visitandine nun.

In both instances, Sister Rosalind is showing obedience to church law and religious custom. The same is true, by the way, with her use of the title "Sister" at this time.

Anonymous is correct as to canon law, but is wrong to take it out on Rosalind Moss. She is not wearing a religious habit. She has said her group would wear the garb of (for lack of better word) maidservants until a new Archibishop was consecrated for St. Louis. In June of last year, the STL Review stated the following: "Moss is in the process of designing her community’s habit, which will be deep blue in color. Each habit also will include a scapular, two strips of cloth worn over the chest and back and fastened at the shoulders, and a wimple, a cloth that covers the head, neck and the sides of the face and sits under the veil." What she is wearing presently looks nothing like what is described, and I sure hope what they are wearing isn't the habit! (not just b/c of canon law, but b/c the current dress doesn't much look like a habit for a good traditional nun)

All that said, I do agree that calling her sister (at least when it is anything more than say calling Timman brother) is incorrect. However, she doesn't refer to herself that way, and generally, the Review doesn't either. See the Review article from August 13 where Rosalind Moss is quoted, "The community, she said, awaits formal inauguration, which would come once a new archbishop is appointed." In the article she is never once referred to as "sister." http://stlouisreview.com/article/2008-08-13/new-religious-community-host-holy-hour-sept-14

So Anonymous can blame the media (maybe even Timman ;-) for the mistake), but Rosalind Moss clearly understands her place.

Rosalind Moss is going for a year of formation in a Monastery of the Visitation which is the spirituality of St. Francis de Sales her mentor in spirit. This year absolutely necessary for her to be able to form women who may be called to this work. The formation of an association of the faithful (first step) whether private or public -is up to the Bishop of the Diocese and since the end of June 2008, there has been no Bishop in St. Louis. Whether it was her intention or not, the "taking" of what many would "recognize" as a habit on August 22, 2008 was within the framework of sede vacante. In regards to postulant, etc. The usual postulant habit is a blouse with vest and skirt or jumper . Some wear a short veil while others do not. But it is a moot point because there is no private or public association in which to wear the postulant's habit. If the new Archbishop gives the go ahead then things can move forward, but not until then. What needs to happen now is that we pray for God's will to be done. And also the Rosalind will be given the wisdom, insight and all the graces necessary to follow God's will.

Listen everybody, dear friends, you're all such good people on this board and I respect your fervor (well, one or two of you rankle...) but on this point, I want to say, "let go, mind your own business." Who in the world thinks there is any desire on the part of Rosalind Moss or Bishop Herman acting as archdiocesan administrator to do anything wrong in this process? All involved know what their responsibilities are as well knowing what the correct procedures are. There's a war going on out there between good and evil! There's no time for good folks like us to get all worried about whether or not good folks like Rosalind Moss are following proper protocol. Of course she is, why wouldnt she want to follow the correct procedure and how could she get away with it here in St. Louis even if she wanted to? Now forget about this, get moving along with whatever concerns you properly. Don't you have a stew on your stove or a burnt-out light bulb in your basement or a crying child that needs a diaper changed opr something? Rev. Father Old Wise Man

I think it's a good idea for Rosalind to test her vocation with the Visitation Nuns. Before founding "The Daughters" it might be wise to live as a nun for a few years in Simple Vows. We must honor and respect our Jewish brothers and sisters and, not again, appropriate their faith into another Christian permutation. It's way too soon to be designing habits. I trust that the Local Ordinary will take into consideration the potential damage to our ecumenical relationship with Jewish people that The Daughters may present.